Wright State picked to win 2012 Horizon League Baseball title

INDIANAPOLIS – Wright State is the favorite to win the 2012 Horizon League Baseball Championship in balloting by the conference’s six head coaches.  The Raiders received 25 points and five first-place votes.

UIC notched one first-place vote and earned 19 points to place second in this year’s preseason poll.  Valparaiso (16) and Milwaukee (15) took third and fourth, respectively, while Butler (10) and Youngstown State (5) rounded out the poll.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams in the poll.

Wright State posted a 36-19 overall record and 16-7 Horizon League mark a season ago, tying for the regular season championship, before winning the tournament championship.

The Raiders return six All-League performers for the 2012 campaign, including Player of the Year, first baseman Jake Hibberd, and Relief Pitcher of the Year, Michael Schum. Hibberd led the league in batting average (.407), home runs (9), doubles (21) and RBIs (56) last season. Schum led the league in wins (9) and saves (9).

In addition to Hibberd and Schum, Corey Davis, Justin Kopale,Tristan Moore and Zach Tanner were All-League First Team last season.

UIC returns 19 letterwinners from last season’s team that finished with a 28-26 record overall and a 16-7 mark in the Horizon League, tying with Wright State for the regular season title. It marked the 10th time in the last 11 seasons UIC won or finished tied for the regular season championship.

The Flames will have to replace all three of their seniors who earned All-League honors last season. Junior outfielder Nick Addison is the Flames top returning hitter, while senior pitcher Matt Salemi, who had a 3.00 ERA in 72.0 innings pitched last season, is UIC’s top returning pitcher.

Valparaiso returns 16 lettermen, including six position starters, from last season’s 25-32 squad. Senior WillHagel was an All-League First Team selection last year after hitting .328 and driving in 46 runs, while sophomore Chris Manning ranked in the top-five in the League last season with 21 steals and 49 runs scored.

Milwaukee was hit hard by graduation as all four of its players named to last season’s All-League First team are gone this season, including 2011 Pitcher of the Year, Chad Pierce. The Panthers do return sophomore shortstop Tell Taylor, the only freshman last season to earn All-League recognition, and junior Jon Capasso, a All-League second team selection last season and the Panthers top returning hitter.

Like Milwaukee, Butler was also hit hard by graduation as three of the four Bulldogs named to the All-League Second Team last season were seniors. Senior pitcher Dom Silvestri is the only Bulldog back who earned All-League recognition last season. The senior was BU’s Friday starter, finishing with a record of 6-5 with a 4.07 ERA in a team-leading 86.0 innings pitched.

Youngstown State will look to make a move up this season and has six of its top seven hitters returning, led by senior first baseman Jeremy Banks who hit .300 last season.

All six conference teams open the 2012 year the weekend of Feb. 17. Conference play begins the weekend of March 16.

The 2012 Horizon League Baseball Championship is slated for May 23-26 at Les Miller Field in Chicago.  The event will feature the League’s six schools in a double-elimination format at the home of the UIC Flames. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.